Most Of All
by Fading Letters
Summary: “Hey, Doctor, you mind showing us your space ducks?” Before he could stop it his face turned back to Jack’s and froze in horror again. Oh, what had he done to deserve this. Spoilers up to the s4 midseason trailer.


A/N: Just something I had to get out of my head. Review please. )

Disclaimer: If it were mine I'd a rich girl. I am definitely not rich.

**Most of All**

Laughter erupted from the console room so loud that the Doctor once again wondered why he always chose humans as his companions. Next time he'd look for something quieter. Next time. He sincerely hoped that 'next time' wasn't all too soon. Despite their habit to miss half of their lives because of sleep, he wouldn't want to exchange them now. It was one thing to have company, a completely other thing though to have good company. He could live with all their flaws, after all they were company that could talk. He wondered what it would be like if he had a dog to accompany him on his adventures.

As he emerged from the wardrobe he could make out the voices of his companions, one more animated than the other. A smile crept across his face. He was so glad to have them all sitting inside his ship. And they were alive, so alive. It was a miracle that everyone was fairly unharmed. It was still a mystery to him that they had managed to save the world. No, the whole universe even.

He wandered down the corridor towards the console when he heard them talking about things they really shouldn't be talking about. First he wanted to join in on the embarrassing story telling; after all they had saved the universe and deserved some down time. But the next thing spoken made him stop dead in his tracks.

-

"What do you mean, space ducks?" Jack frowned in confusion, but he wasn't the only one clearly shocked by the image that Rose had just presented them. Martha's eyes had widened to the size of golf balls and Donna's mouth was shaped like a little 'o'.

"Means just that. He's got red boxers with space ducks on 'em", Rose chuckled.

-

Pure horror settled down in the Doctor's face as he heard them break out in laughter again.

-

"But, how do you know? You didn't… you know?" Martha was the first one to regain posture again although her body still shook with laughter.

"No, 'course we didn't. He'd never do that. I found them once when I wanted to do the laundry. The TARDIS had been mad at him and had refused to wash his clothes. So I did it. Couldn't let him run around in the same suit all the time." A giggle escaped Rose's lips as she remembered that particular day. She had found quite some things that day but the space duck boxers had been the cream of the crop.

"Space ducks… on red boxers… and I thought it couldn't get any worse than that bloody suit. He's much too skinny for a suit like that", Donna muttered still in shock. "I still wonder why he always wears only that suit. As if he doesn't have any other clothes."

"Oh he does", Jack, Martha and Rose piped simultaneously. Again they broke out in laughter and didn't utter a single word for several minutes.

-

'Never ever again will I take more than one human with me.' Humans were sometimes just too childish for him to bear them in larger numbers than one.

-

"He's got about, what, eight and a half of them, I think", Rose answered Donna's unasked question about the number of suits.

"Eight and a half? Do I want to know what happened to the other half?"

-

That was when he decided to interrupt them in their happy chatter. No more jokes about his appearance. He cleared his throat loudly as he entered the console room.

"You really don't want to know what happened to the other half, Donna. Believe me", he said before looking into each of their faces for exactly two seconds. As far as he could tell they were about to burst with laughter. Again.

"Hey, Doctor, you mind showing us your space ducks?" Before he could stop it his face turned back to Jack's and froze in horror again. Oh, what had he done to deserve this.

"Oi!" He couldn't help but squeak. His mind rattled on and on and he wanted to say more but there was nothing he could think of. He couldn't express a single word against any of them. Not now. He was much too glad to have them at his side. A few seconds passed while nothing happened except for the exchange of a few glances between the four culprits.

"So. What's next? Where do you want to go? Fancy a trip to Calceolus?"

"Calceolus? What's tha…" But before Jack could finish his sentence the three women interrupted him rather rudely with a synchronous "Shoe planet, Jack."

"Well, anyone interested?" The Doctor raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner but all four of them declined.

"I better get back to Torchwood. The team's waiting for me", Jack reasoned. "But I'm sure we'll see each other soon."

"Yeah, I better get back to my family, too. They're probably terrified with worry over me." The Doctor gave Martha an understanding nod. Of course, she belonged with her family. Next his gaze fell upon Donna.

"Donna, what about you? Leaving as well?" He was quite sure that she'd not stay here any longer now that Rose was back again. She'd most likely feel like an intruder.

"You've got to be kidding me! I'll stay, of course! There's no way that I'll miss out on another adventure with you. And besides somebody has to make sure you eat enough, you skinny image of a bloody Time Lord! No offense, Rose", she threw in and received a "None taken" almost immediately from her. "But I'll better make a trip to the family, as well. And leave the two of you alone. Besides, you probably have a lot to catch up on", she added and smiled happily towards Rose.

"Well, alright then. We better drop you off, then." With that everything was settled. They decided to drop Jack off first while Rose and Martha helped Donna to find and pack a few things she didn't need on the ship anymore.

--

"So, now we're alone again. How about we get some chips?" the Doctor asked but Rose didn't listen at all.

"I missed this", she said with dreamy eyes.

"What?" Now the Doctor was the one to be curious.

"This. All of this. The TARDIS. Travelling through time and space. Different planets. Aliens." The enthusiasm in her voice was unmistakable.

"But you had aliens in the other world, too."

"Wasn't the same. I'm doing this voluntarily. Travelling with you, I mean. Back there, it was my job to meet aliens and save the world. That's a difference."

"So you came back to save the world? To do your job?" This had been bugging him since he had first seen her again. Her whole family was still in the other world and he knew that she missed them just by the hint of sadness in her voice when she had said 'back there'. And it wasn't just that. Like she had said, in the other world she had a job. She didn't have that here and yet she had come back.

"No. Not at all."

"Then what did you come back for?"

"Just for you." She flashed one of her most beautiful smiles at him and looked straight into his eyes. The Doctor didn't say anything. Somewhere deep down he had known this. And strange as it was, it made him even happier than he already was. For some time there was nothing but silence between them and both turned their heads at something else to look at.

"Rose?"

"Yeah?"

"What else did you miss?"

"I missed _you_, Doctor. And everything that has to do with you. But most of all…" She stopped and looked up at him just to see his face beaming like a beacon.

"What did you miss most of all, Rose?"

"This." And with that she slipped her hand into his just like they had used to do it in the past.


End file.
